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An  African  Net 


A  study  of  the  West  Africa 
Mission  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  edited 
by  Helen  L.  Kittredge.  Based 
on  Articles  in  The  Drum 
Call,  the  Quarterly  Maga2,ine 
published  by  the  Mission. 


“Who  are  you  that  write  so  superbly 
in  the  backwoods  of  the  forest.” 


Jean  K.  Mackenzie 
in  “African  Clearings. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https  ;//archive.org/details/africannetstudyoOOkitt 


VI  f=cL  *- 


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v£ 

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The  Story  of  the  Mission 


the  forest  about  twenty  miles  northeast  of  Efulan, 
V-7  m  three  degrees  north  of  the  equator  on  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa  in  the  Cameroun,  there  is  an  immense  bare  rock, 
and  down  across  the  face  of  this  rock  are  the  tracks  of  a  huge  sheep. 
Tradition  says  that  in  past  ages  God,  leading  a  mighty  sheep,  passed 
that  way.  And  we  modify  this  ancient  tradition  and  say  that  the 
Lamb  of  God  has  surely  passed  this  way  and  is  still  marching  on 
across  this  dark  continent,  leaving  deeply  imbedded  upon  untold 
thousands  of  these  child  people  the  foot'prints  of  his  love  and 
devotion. 


And  the  men  and  women  who  have  gone  as  missionaries  to 
these  primitive  people  have  heard  the  call  of  Christ,  “Come  ye  after 
me  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men.”  For  truly  they  have 
gathered  in  their  net  thousands  of  souls  that  shine  through  the  gloom 
of  the  forests,  reflecting  in  their  lives  the  love  of  the  Great  Fisher 
of  mankind. 


In  1914  Miss  Mackenzie  in  writing  of  the  West  Africa  Mission 
said:  “Five  decades  ago  the  West  Africa  Mission  was  housed  on 
Corisco  Island  and  neighbored  by  the  American  Mission  at  Gaboon 
on  the  mainland.  Not  until  1871  were  these  two  amalgamated 
under  the  Presbyterian  Board.  At  the  time  of  which  we  speak,  1864, 
four  missionaries  were  home  on  furlough,  the  remaining  five  were  on 
the  island.  They  must  pass  its  ring  of  surf  and  sail  forty  miles  in  an 
open  boat  to  visit  their  three  out'Stations  on  the  coast  of  the  main' 
land.  Corisco  is  one  degree  north  of  the  equator.  You  must  think 
of  this  little  island,  set  in  its  silver  ring  of  surf,  as  very  beautiful  and 
very  lost  from  the  world  and  of  those  five  tribal  brothers  of  yours 
as  the  center  of  happenings  very  dark,  very  tragic.  About  one 
hundred  Christians  there  were  in  that  early  church  and  perhaps  one 
hundred  children  in  the  mission  school.  Fourteen  Africans  were 
entrusted  with  responsibility,  one  of  these  was  the  wonderful  Ibia, 
so  long  a  pastor  among  the  Benga  and  whose  son  is  now  pastor  over 
his  father’s  church.” 

Another  decade  and  in  1874  the  Mission  occupies  Corisco, 
Baraka  in  the  Gaboon  and  Benito  on  the  shore  of  Spanish  Guinea. 
There  are  eleven  tribal  brothers  of  your  own  in  the  heat  and  burden 
of  that  day.  There  are  now  one  hundred  and  sixty'seven  church 


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members  and  nearly  two  hundred  school  children.  Six  missionaries 
have  died  in  this  decade.  God  has  given  us  better  days  but  there 
is  a  trace  of  tears  upon  the  map. 

In  1884  the  Mission  has  sent  an  arm  up  the  river  from  Baraka, 
for  An2;om  is  a  station.  And  there  are  two  stations  up  the  Ogowe 
River.  These  were  the  days  of  Trader  Horn  and  his  travels  and  his 
tales  of  the  little  missionary.  There  are  seven  out'Stations.  This 
effort  inland  is  a  beginning  of  new  things  and  there  is  a  new  wind 
in  the  sail.  The  Mission  reports  to  the  Board  of  God’s  servant  Benga 
Ibia  in  Corisco:  “His  plans  and  influence  have  the  great  merit  of 
aiming  at  self-support  both  in  church  and  in  school.”  This  in  1884 
and  spoken  of  a  black  man! 

In  1894  the  Mission  with  twenty-two  missionaries  has  left 
Corisco  to  the  care  of  the  native  Christians,  has  disposed  of  the  bulk 
of  its  work  in  the  French  Congo  to  the  French  Protestant  Society  at 
work  in  that  colony,  has  held  the  work  at  Baraka,  Anzom  and  Benito 
and  has  opened  up  two  stations  in  the  Cameroun,  one  of  these, 
Batanga  on  the  coast,  one  hundred  miles  north  of  Benito,  the  other 
Efulan,  inland  from  Batanga  fifty-seven  miles,  among  the  forest 
people.  God’s  child,  the  Bulu,  begins  to  move  across  the  page.  There 
are  now  over  twelve  hundred  communicants  in  the  coast  churches, 
over  three  hundred  children  in  the  schools,  over  forty  native  assist¬ 
ants  in  school  and  church  and  that  year’s  report  takes  account  of 
over  a  thousand  patients  treated  by  Mission  doctors.  The  Board  has 
granted  the  request  that  a  man  be  sent  out  for  industrial  work  and 
he  is  on  the  field. 

This  brings  the  history  of  the  Mission  up  to  the  latter  years  of 
the  last  century.  Writing  in  1926,  Dr.  Melvin  Fraser  here  takes  up 
the  story:  “There  is  a  note  of  achievement  in  the  pen  picture  of 
contrasts  between  prevailing  conditions  in  our  Africa  Mission  field 
thirty  years  ago  and  today,  and  is  not  only  interesting  as  a  bit  of 
modern  history  of  something  that  again  ‘turned  the  world  upside 
down,’  but  as  a  kind  of  dynamic  incentive  to  more  of  such  turning. 

“Thirty  years  ago  Efulan  station  was  an  infant  of  less  than  three 
years.  Today,  Baraka  and  Angom  having  been  transferred  to  the 
Paris  Evangelical  Society,  the  annual  budget  is  made  out  for  six 
additional  stations,  the  average  of  one  new  station  every  five  years — 
Elat,  MacLean  Memorial  at  Lolodorf,  Metet,  Foulassi,  Sakbayeme 
and  Yaounde,  with  occupation  of  Bafia  soon  to  ripen  into  the  status 
of  a  station. 


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“Thirty  years  ago  about  a  score  of  missionaries  by  dint  of  grit 
and  grace  were  on  the  field.  Today  there  are  more  than  four  score. 
But  strangely  enough,  while  the  number  of  missionaries  has  increased 
fourfold,  the  work  has  so  expanded  that  each  missionary  seems  to 
have  about  four  times  as  much  to  do. 

“Thirty  years  ago  there  were  some  half-dozen  organized  churches 
dotting  the  coast,  only  one,  Angom,  inland.  Today  there  are  forty- 
four  churches  and  nearly  nine  hundred  groups  not  yet  organized 
into  churches  reaching  more  than  two  hundred  miles  into  the  jungle 
interior  and  holding  a  membership  of  over  twenty-eight  thousand 
men  and  women. 

“A  score  and  a  half  years  ago,  as  many  Bible  readers  as  there 
are  fingers  on  one  hand,  with  little  or  no  special  training  and  oper¬ 
ating  within  the  bounds  of  the  organized  churches  on  the  coast,  con¬ 
stituted  the  native  evangelistic  force.  But  the  Spirit  of  God  has 
been  at  work  and  things  have  been  brought  to  pass.  Now  some 
five  hundred  Bible  readers,  like  the  stars  on  a  dark  night,  twinkling, 
differing  in  magnitude  and  difficult  to  count,  men  who  start  and  hold 
preaching  points  are  distributed  far  and  near,  groups  of  eighty  at 
a  time  taking  their  rotary  turns  at  the  school  of  systematic  Bible 
training.  This  host  of  men,  mostly  young,  on  meager  though  diving’ 
wage,  names  unknown  in  the  homeland,  are  true  knights  of  the  cross, 
mighty  and  indispensable  in  soul-winning  in  our  Mission.  Thirty 
years  ago  the  Presbytery  of  Corisco  could  report  only  two  or  three 
licentiates;  now  there  are  nine  ordained  men  and  eighty  in  theologi¬ 
cal  school. 

“In  those  days,  small  vernacular  schools  were  running  rather 
spasmodically  at  one  or  more  stations  and  village  schools  were  scarce. 
Now  there  are  in  each  station  two  to  three  hundred  vernacular  boys 
and  girls  studying  the  five-year  course  of  French,  and  from  a  score  to 
several  dozen  surrounding  village  schools  reporting  thousands  of 
pupils  busy  in  their  separate  localities.  Then  the  girls,  as  soon  as 
they  could  walk  were  given  in  polygamous  marriage  and,  the  notion 
prevailed  that  they  could  know  nothing  but  submission  and  servitude. 
Now  a  girls’  school  of  one  hundred  at  any  station  is  a  matter  of 
course  and  through  applied  Christianity  girlhood  is  getting  her  Magna 
Charta.  Then  boys  had  to  be  coaxed  to  come  to  school.  Today 
travel  being  safe  and  school  appreciated  the  aspiring  boys  overflow 
the  dormitories  and  school  rooms  and  gladly  pay  the  nominal  fee  for 


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the  privilege.  And  during  these  years  it  has  dawned  upon  thousands 
of  boys  and  girls  that  the  fear  of  God  is  both  the  beginning  and 
continuation  of  welfare  and  wisdom. 

“In  those  pioneer  days,  medical  work  was  small  and  doctors 
scarce.  Now  it  is  the  policy  to  have  a  physician  at  each  station  with 
a  well-supplied  dispensary  and  equipment  to  serve  thousands  who 
come  walking  or  are  carried  from  near  and  far. 

“Then  the  native  took  his  pleasure  in  fighting,  gambling  and 
trading.  But  the  visitor  of  today  is  ama2;ed  to  see  the  hundreds  of 
apprentices  at  Elat  and  other  stations  being  trained  in  many  crafts 
which  teach  the  dignity  of  work  with  the  hands  and  provide  a  means 
of  living. 

“In  the  pioneering  days,  the  native  of  the  interior  was  amazed 
at  the  idea  of  putting  thought  on  paper,  for  this  was  a  people  with¬ 
out  written  language.  Now  more  people  can  read  than  the  number 
of  stars  seen  on  a  clear  night  and  a  vernacular  literature  is  abroad.” 

These  are  a  people  who  have  suffered  transition  of  government 
and  government  language  for  the  German  colony  of  Kamerun  fell 
during  the  World  War  to  the  allies  and  in  1916  became  the 
Cameroun,  the  mandated  territory  of  the  French. 


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That  School  Palaver 


OBJECT,  we  claim,  is  to  make  Christians  of  those 
#  V#  J  who  are  not.  This  is  true.  And  yet  if  that  be  our  un- 
qualified  objective,  how,  where  and  when  is  that  self' 
propagating,  able'to'walk'alone,  native  church  ever  to  be  materialized? 
To  us  it  appears  that  a  great  part  of  our  work  is  the  finding  of  boys 
and  girls  gifted  by  God  for  the  purpose,  and  the  developing  of  them 
into  men  and  women  who  can  and  will,  in  the  power  of  Christ, 
assume  that  unselfish  leadership  which  alone  is  able  to  reach  their 
people  to  lift  them  to  higher  and  better  things. 


“Less  than  a  generation  ago  missionaries  in  the  West  Africa 
Mission  were  paying  fathers  to  allow  their  boys  to  come  to  the 
Mission  to  learn  to  read  and  write.  Today  those  boys,  instead  of 
being  the  wild,  painted  brass'ornamented,  unlettered  people  their 
fathers  were,  are  the  clean,  quiet,  and  at  least  partially'educated 
teachers  in  the  nearly  nine  hundred  schools  of  the  Mission. 


“It  is  difficult  for  those  missionaries  to  visualize  in  these  days 
the  crude  wooden  printing  blocks  cut  out  by  one  of  themselves  which 
served  as  the  first  school  material.  Today  there  are  printed  charts 
and  books  in  the  native  language  for  the  nearly  900  village  schools  in 
most  of  which,  along  with  the  twelve  station  day  and  boarding  schools 
for  boys  and  girls,  there  are  French  grammars  and  readers  also.  And 
in  these  schools  there  are  now  enrolled  over  32,000  pupils.  Besides 
there  are  a  score  of  students  in  the  theological  school,  more  than  one 
hundred  apprentices  in  the  industrial  and  agricultural  school  and 
forty  teachers'tO'be  in  the  normal  school. 

“All  this  has  come  about  gradually.  In  the  early  days  it  was 
the  custom  for  the  missionaries,  during  school  vacations,  to  travel 
from  place  to  place  endeavoring  to  persuade  parents  to  allow  their 
sons  to  come  to  the  station  schools  for  at  least  a  few  months.  In 
1904  the  Mission  voted  to  demand  a  nominal  tuition  instead  of  pay' 
ing  parents  for  the  privilege  of  teaching  their  children.  While  this 
caused  some  opposition  at  first,  the  new  ruling  was  soon  accepted 
as  Teading’  was  beginning  to  be  appreciated.  By  1907  there  were 
as  many  pupils  in  attendance  as  the  schools  could  accommodate. 

“The  practice  of  clean  Christian  living  was  stressed  equally  with 
Christian  service  and  the  home  villages  of  the  school  boys  became 


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evangelistic  centers  for  whole  districts,  with  the  boys  telling  the 
good  news  they  had  received.  Many  of  them  went  about  two  by 
two  during  vacations  to  regions  untouched  and  there,  seeking  out 
those  religiously  inclined,  started  Christian  work.  So  well  did  they 
succeed  that  for  years  the  missionaries  were  at  their  wits’  end  to 
supply  the  consequent  demand  for  teachers  in  these  villages. 

“With  the  retirement  of  the  Germans  and  the  coming  in  of  the 
French  in  1916,  the  whole  school  system,  based  upon  the  German 
language,  and  school  laws  had  to  be  discarded.  The  French  language 
and  school  regulations,  foreign  to  practically  every  one  in  the  Mission, 
had  to  be  introduced  and  white  teachers  found  to  replace  the  German 
ones.  Despite  the  fact  that  from  that  time  to  the  present  there 
have  never  been  more  than  three  white  French  teachers  on  the  field 
at  one  time,  an  exceptionally  high  grade  of  work  has  been  main- 
tained.  The  Negroes  of  West  Africa  were  an  exceedingly  primitive 
people  when  the  first  missionaries  came  to  them,  and  they  need  more 
than  one  generation  to  develop  into  the  mental  and  spiritual  knowh 
edge  and  stature  of  the  new  men  in  Christ  Jesus  which  the  times 
demand.  The  problem  of  teachers  has  been  so  great  that  though 
the  Mission  felt  that  more  time  should  be  given  for  their  develop- 
ment  before  attempting  it  too  far,  the  necessity  for  French  teachers 
has  driven  them  to  establish  a  normal  school.  We  hope  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years,  if  missionary  teachers  may  be  secured  for  this  school, 
to  have  the  educational  standards  such  that  the  African  teachers  who 
come  out  will  be  suflSciently  trained  and  qualified  to  assume  the 
responsibility  of  supervising  station  schools.  It  will  not  be  easy;  the 
task  is  a  huge  one  before  both  the  instructors  and  the  pupils  in  the 
normal  school.  But  we  feel  sure  that  the  black  man  will  not  fail. 
As  we  reflect  upon  what  the  past  thirty  years  have  wrought  in  this 
part  of  the  world,  we  are  confident  that  the  next  thirty  years  will 
see  an  even  greater  change.  The  schools  of  our  Mission  must  con¬ 
tinue  to  guide  our  youth  along  the  path  shown  by  Christ  and  they 
can  only  do  it  as  they  are  made  adequate  to  fulfill  the  ever-growing 
need.’’ 

So  says  George  Schwab,  who  has  spent  over  twenty  years  on 
the  field  and  is  superintendent  of  the  schools  of  the  Mission. 

People  who  are  long-time  lovers  of  the  West  Africa  Mission 
will  remember  Mrs.  McCleary  who  went  out  with  her  husband, 
Charles  W.  McCleary,  in  1902,  to  the  station  of  Elat,  the  then 
pioneer  station  of  the  Mission.  Four  months  after  their  arrival  there 


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Mr.  McCleary  died.  Since  that  time  Mrs.  McCleary  has  hardly  been 
out  of  the  schoolroom.  Writing  in  1926  of  her  first  impression  in 
visiting  the  school  in  Elat  she  says: 

“The  school  building,  a  shed  with  thatch  roof  and  ground  floor 
and  inside  the  split  log  seats  did  not  suggest  comfort  or  convenience 
but  the  spirit  of  earnest  effort  was  there  as  well  as  the  spirit  of  fun 
and  mischief. 

“One  of  the  two  little  girls  present  was  given  the  pointer  and 
told  to  teach  the  chart  class.  She  called  up  one  from  the  crowd  of 
men  who  sat  there  and  put  him  through  a  course  of  letters,  words 
and  sentences  in  a  manner  that  would  have  done  justice  to  a  trained 
teacher.  I  turned  from  her  to  a  class  in  arithmetic  and  saw  a  boy 
solve  correctly  a  difiicult  problem  in  long  division. 

“In  the  afternoon  the  boys  filed  past  the  house  carrying  hoes 
and  cutlasses  enroute  to  the  garden  to  earn  their  daily  bread.  Since 
this  is  the  Bulu  woman’s  work  it  meant  much  for  these  boys  to  sub' 
mit  to  it.  But  their  daily  rations  of  food,  about  three  cents  worth, 
were  earned  this  way.  I  was  told  there  were  five  thousand  pine' 
apples  and  eight  thousand  plantains  already  ripening  for  them. 

“These  little  side  lights  were  a  minor  part  of  their  school  life. 
They  crowded  into  the  station  twice  a  year,  hundreds  of  boys,  with  a 
determined  spirit  and  they  met  all  obstacles,  hardships  and  defeats 
in  a  cheerful  spirit. 

“At  the  call  from  the  headman  for  teachers  for  their  towns  the 
first  volunteers  went  out  in  some  instances  taking  their  lives  in  their 
hands.  The  tribal  feeling  was  very  intense  and  the  boys  faced  real 
danger.  At  least  one  of  them  found  an  early  grave  in  his  school 
town.  Later  another  boy  went  to  take  his  place.  Once  a  call  from 
ninety  miles  away  seemed  a  Waterloo,  but  one  of  them  said,  T  do 
not  know  the  way,  nor  the  people,  but  it  is  God’s  work.  I  will  go.' 
When  he  returned  he  was  followed  by  ninety  inquirers  of  the  Way. 
Later  I  saw  him  ordained  an  elder  in  the  church  and  he  has  con' 
tinned  to  hold  that  position.  One  I  know  refused  his  father’s  offer 
of  wealth  to  accept  the  position  of  assistant  to  the  Mission  doctor 
and  came  to  save  many  in  body  as  well  as  to  show  them  the  way  of 
life.  Many  are  employed  by  the  Government  as  teachers,  clerks, 
secretaries  and  medical  assistants.  Africa’s  future  is  in  the  hands  of 
these  young  people  of  today.” 

Mrs.  P.  H.  Combs  tells  us  of  one  of  the  girls’  schools. 


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“The  white  teacher  stands  at  her  door  and  watches  with  loving 
eyes  the  little  girls  who  come  in  answer  to  the  drum  summons  on 
the  opening  day  of  school.  Each  girl  has  her  basket  supported  on 
her  back  by  a  head  strap  and  the  basket  is  full,  some  choice  bits  of 
food  her  mother  cooked  for  her,  perha{)s  a  Bulu  gospel,  a  cloth  or 
two,  some  trinkets,  a  stick  of  sugar  cane  and  her  toothbrush.  Each 
girl  swings  the  basket  from  her  back  and  with  downcast  eyes,  man- 
nerly  after  the  old  fashion,  comes  up  to  greet  the  teacher.  Then 
the  matron,  a  motherly  soul,  conducts  each  of  her  charges  to  the 
dormitory  comforting  those  who  are  lonesome  and  befriending  those 
who  are  new.  When  all  are  gathered  into  the  school-house  and  have 
sung,  ‘Good  morning  to  you,’  in  their  native  language,  and  have 
repeated  a  thanksgiving  psalm,  school  is  in  full  swing  without  further 
ceremony. 

“Let  me  take  you  to  the  beginners’  department  where  twenty 
little  tots  sit  at  a  long  table,  little  feet  a-dangling,  little  black  bodies 
a-wiggling,  little  tongues  a-going  and  little  bright  eyes  alert.  It’s  a 
long  road  to  knowledge  when  one  is  at  the  far  end,  but  it  is  lots  of 
fun  to  start  with  pegs,  cards,  blocks  and  sand. 

“Will  you  step  into  the  manual  training  room?  Such  an  air 
of  busyness  prevails.  There  is  the  Matthew  class  making  general 
utility  baskets  of  reeds.  Here  is  the  John  class  weaving  mats  for 
beds.  This  is  the  Luke  class  fashioning  hats  with  pith  and  raffia. 
And  this  interesting  group  is  the  graduation  class  making  patch- 
work  head  cloths  for  commencement. 

“Now  let’s  go  down  to  the  kitchen.  If  there’s  a  place  that 
reminds  one  of  a  sewing-bee  in  America,  it  is  the  place  where  food 
is  being  cooked  in  Africa.  There  is  a  girl  sitting  on  the  ground  floor 
with  a  large,  smooth  stone  between  her  knees  grinding  peanuts. 
Another  girl  has  a  lot  of  seeds  that  look  like  pumpkin  seeds  and  a 
board  and  stick.  She  gives  the  seeds  a  crack  with  the  stick  and 
removes  the  kernel  in  a  twinkling.  Here  is  another  girl  with  a  long, 
knife-shaped  stick  peeling  plantains  as  easily  as  you  at  home  pare 
apples.  Watch  her  line  the  pot  with  a  leaf,  stand  the  peeled  plan¬ 
tains  on  end  filling  the  pot,  pour  in  a  little  water,  cover  the  pot 
with  a  wilted  leaf  and  tie  it  down  with  a  string  from  the  main  vein 
of  the  leaf.  She  shoves  the  logs  together,  coaxes  and  blows  the  fire, 
and  in  a  moment  the  pot  is  boiling  merrily.  All  the  time  we  stand 
to  watch  their  tongues  are  going  with  remarks  about  the  visitors’ 
hair,  dress,  shoes,  eyes  and  hands.  The  menu  is  varied;  today  they 


8 


are  preparing  peanut  soap,  boiled  plantains  and  boiled  greens.  When 
the  meal  is  ready  each  girl  has  a  place  at  the  table,  is  served  her  share 
on  a  white  plate  and  eats  with  a  wooden  spoon. 

“School  studies  make  up  the  morning  hours  and  the  afternoons 
are  spent  by  some  in  garden  work,  others  have  dormitory  work, 
while  others  prepare  the  evening  meal  for  the  whole  group.  Those 
going  to  the  garden  are  armed  with  a  short'handled,  narrow^bladed 
hoe.  Each  girl  has  a  chum  and  they  like  to  work  in  pairs.  They  are 
happy  as  they  work  and  often  burst  forth  in  song,  mostly  native 
tunes,  in  time  to  their  hoeing. 

“When  it  is  evening  and  the  tropical  moon  is  in  full  glory  then 
the  school  girls  find  rest  in  dancing  in  their  school  yard.  They  stand 
in  opposing  lines  and  one  is  ‘it.’  All  keep  time  by  clapping  hands 
in  a  swinging  motion  and  one  foot  tapping  on  the  ground.  The 
center  one  bows  to  each  and  gives  a  peculiar  call  which  is  to  be 
answered  by  an  opposite  motion  of  hands  and  feet.  If  she  passes 
the  whole  line  without  mistake  she  has  won;  but  if  a  mistake  is  made 
she  returns  to  her  place  in  disgrace  and  another  ‘it’  is  chosen  from  the 
other  side.  This  is  but  one  of  the  games,  many  of  them  nature 
games,  in  which  African  childhood  is  rich.  At  last  the  curfew  rings 
and  they  gather  in  the  dormitory  for  prayers.  Night  closes  down, 
wrapping  all  in  quiet  and  rest,  the  girls  lie  down  to  sleep,  happy  in 
the  freedom  of  school  routine. 

“Thus  pass  the  days  and  the  last  day  of  school  arrives  with  its 
scurry  and  bustle  of  packing  baskets.  Goodbyes  are  said  and  loving 
embraces  exchanged.  Far  down  the  road  comes  back  the  wish  ‘dwell 
in  peace’  and  we  lift  our  voices  to  say  ‘go  well.’  ” 

Mrs.  Schwab  adds:  “Before  the  advent  of  the  Christian  mis' 
sionary  the  boys  only  had  the  privilege  of  home  training.  Girls  were 
sent  to  their  marriage  often  while  still  mere  babies.  Fortunate  today 
is  the  girl  who  has  Christian  parents.  They  send  her  to  school  where 
she  is  taught  hygiene,  the  care  of  children,  and  best  of  all  of  that 
great  love  that  surpasses  all.  In  the  sunshine  of  that  wondrous  love 
a  few  of  the  countless  African  children  are  growing  up  into  manhood 
and  womanhood,  bringing  joy  and  more  abundant  life  into  their 
communities.’’ 

From  the  boys  and  girls  who  come  out  of  these  schools  we  are 
to  draw  not  only  church  leaders  and  teachers  but  doctors’  helpers, 
nurses,  agriculturists  and  those  who  will  go  back  to  their  own  villages 
teaching  hygiene,  sanitation  and  proper  living. 


9 


What  kind  of  men  and  women  are  our  schools  making?  If 
there  were  a  rolhcall  of  them,  how  would  they  answer  from  the  many 
villages  of  the  Forest?  They  would  be  telling  you  of  their  many 
works  and  many  kinds  of  work.  If  you  want  to  hear  the  story  of  a 
far'famed  teacher  and  organi2,er  of  schools,  call  on  Nkulu  Ndibi. 
Stand  for  a  minute  outside  of  his  school  house  in  Yebekolle,  and  that 
is  far  from  his  home  town.  Listen  to  the  voice  of  young  Africa  from 
within! 

“Comment  vous  appellez'vous” — in  a  loud  strong  voice. 

“Comment  vous  appelle2;'Vous” — repeated  in  many  high  shrill 
voices. 


“Comment  vous  appelle^wous” — in  a  loud  strong  voice. 

“Comment  vous  appellezi-vous” — repeated  in  many  high  shrill 
voices. 

A  French  song,  a  prayer  in  French,  and  the  sound  of  “Oui, 
Monsieur”  at  regular  intervals. 

By  these  sounds  that  float  across  the  twenty-five  foot  wide  street 
to  our  little  bark  hut  at  Ebole  Bengon,  we  know  that  Nkulu  Ndibi’s 
French  school  is  in  session. 

Nkulu  came  to  the  Mission  as  a  young  man.  He  studied  at 
Efulan  in  the  German  schools  and  became  so  proficient  that  he  was 
sent  out  as  a  German  teacher.  Then  when  Germany  started  out  to 
change  the  world  map,  Cameroon  changed  the  spelling  of  her  name, 
and  her  people  must  needs  learn  French  and  become  Frenchmen. 
Nkulu  was  one  of  the  first  to  do  the  chameleon’s  stunt,  and  he  soon 
became  as  proficient  in  French  as  he  had  been  in  German. 

Today  he  holds  a  monitor’s  certificate,  the  highest  honor  given 
to  the  native  educators  in  the  colony  and  not  only  is  he  one  of  our 
strongest  teachers,  but  he  holds  a  position  as  Inspector  and  Supervisor 
of  the  Yebekolle  work — a  position  which  might  be  as  ably  filled  by 
few  white  men. 

Nkulu  and  his  family,  and  Nleme  Nyem  and  four  children  are 
practically  prisoners  in  this  part  of  the  country  which  they  have 
adopted  and  which  they  call  home,  for  they  all,  with  the  exception 
of  the  oldest  daughter,  are  infected  with  the  trypanazome  of  sleeping 
sickness,  and  must  go  every  week  to  the  Sleeping  Sickness  Hospital 
for  treatments. 


10 


Facing  this  future  and  knowing  full  well  the  outcome,  Nkulu 
has  never  lost  his  interest  in  the  work  of  education  and  the  advance^ 
ment  of  his  own  race.  And  today  he  has  a  school  of  which  we  may 
be  proud,  and  a  dormitory  filled  with  boys  from  all  parts  of  that 
section  of  the  field. 

He  holds  the  regard  and  esteem  of  the  Government  oflScials  in 
the  subdivision  in  which  he  has  work,  and  his  native  brothers  and 
fellow  workers  look  to  him  for  counsel  and  advice. 

Would  that  the  Mission  could  boast  of  one  hundred  men  like 
Nkulu  Ndibi! 

Listen  to  the  Rev.  C.  E.  Whittier  tell  us  of  his  friend  Esam: 
“Kiki,  where  Esam  lives,  is  about  seven  miles  from  Dang  in  Bafia 
and  has  the  largest  school  outside  of  Dang,  about  176  pupils.  Esam 
is  the  kind  of  teacher  we  should  like  in  every  school.  He  first  teaches 
the  school.  Then  he  and  his  wife  are  father  and  mother  to  all  the 
pupils,  for  about  half  of  them  are  orphans.  He  feeds  them  all,  too, 
in  that  he  superintends  their  work  in  the  school  gardens.  Then  he 
has  some  boys  making  rafiia  mats,  pillows  and  covers.  These  he  sells 
and  buys  school  supplies  for  the  boys.  On  Sunday  and  for  the  morn- 
ing  prayers  and  midweek  service  he  is  a  most  effectual  preacher,  and 
a  pastor  all  of  the  time.” 


11 


That  Doctor  Palaver 


^^EDICAL  work  in  our  West  Africa  Mission  though 
y  smaller  than  in  the  more  populous  regions  is  not  less 

V  ^  important.  It  makes  the  missionary’s  message  tangi' 

hie  and  intelligent  to  his  hearers.  It  helps  also  to  destroy  their  faith 
in  their  old  superstitions  when  they  see  the  white  doctor,  without  any 
pretense  of  mystery,  accomplish  more  than  their  own  medicine  men 
with  all  their  secrecy  and  mystical  rites. 


The  Rev.  Joseph  McNeill  has  written  recently:  “Things  which 
the  missionaries  are  doing  are  things  which  cause  backward  bush 
dwellers  not  only  to  cup  their  hands  over  their  fallen  jaws  and 
ejaculate  ‘Eke,’  but  also  to  question  at  last  the  doings  of  their  good 
old  days  and  the  potency  of  fetish.  Think  what  it  means  for  a 
bushman  having  directed  his  steps  toward  Elat  to  see  in  the  concrete 
the  new  Central  Hospital.  Here  the  old  African  stands  in  deepest 
awe.’’ 


The  hospital  consists  of  several  units  of  buildings — the  Adminis' 
tration  building,  the  native  wards,  the  ward  for  white  patients,  on  a 
hillside  somewhat  away  from  the  confusion  and  bustle  of  the  main 
section  of  the  hospital,  and  the  doctor’s  residence.  The  white  ward 
is  equipped  with  all  the  modern  appliances  which  can  be  put  to 
practical  use  in  Africa.  The  native  wards  are  supplied  with  beds  of 
board  and  grass  mats,  with  pillows  of  wood.  This  may  not  sound 
comfortable  to  us,  but  it  is  the  equipment  which  the  African  uses 
at  home  and  which  he  much  prefers  to  such  hot  affairs  as  mattresses 
and  feather  pillows.  Long  experience  with  village  patients  has  shown 
the  mission  doctors  that  it  is  much  better  to  provide  them  with  the 
type  of  surroundings  to  which  they  are  accustomed  than  to  offer 
them,  when  they  are  frightened  and  perhaps  homesick,  accommoda' 
tions  which  will  only  make  them  feel  more  strange  and  uncom' 
fortable.  Besides  this,  the  patient  usually  brings  along  with  him 
anywhere  from  one  to  a  dozen  members  of  his  family,  so  that  it  is 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  wards  to  be  equipped  with  furnishings 
which  require  the  least  possible  amount  of  cleaning. 

Here  there  are  sterilizers,  hot  and  cold  water  tanks,  an  ice 
machine,  and  the  surgical  and  dental  operating  rooms  with  their 
equipment  are  not  to  be  surpassed  on  the  whole  West  Coast.  The 


12 


X'ray  machine  is  the  only  one  in  this  colony.  From  the  stock  of 
medicine  stored  upon  the  shelves  are  supplied  the  sick  folk  of  Bafia, 
250  miles  away  by  motor  road;  of  Yaounde,  150  miles  away;  and 
Olama,  100  miles  away;  of  Njazenz  away  down  in  Ntum  field,  out' 
post  medical  stations  to  which  people  in  distress  come  miles.  Two 
doctors  have  been  in  charge,  visiting  Efulan,  Batanga,  McLean  and 
Foulassi,  performing  operations  at  three  of  these  stations  and  carrying 
on  the  work  of  the  Central  Hospital  itself.  More  than  260,000 
treatments  have  been  given  at  the  dispensary  alone,  more  than  22,000 
on  itinerating  trips,  over  1,000  operations  have  been  performed  at 
the  Central  Hospital,  and  here  611  patients  have  been  brought  to 
Christ  in  the  last  year.  At  the  two  Leper  Colonies  nearby  there 
are  444  lepers  under  treatment. 

Let  us  now  hear  from  Mrs.  P.  J.  May,  who,  as  a  nurse,  sees 
the  great  good  that  medical  work  can  do. 

“The  African  is  sick,  physically  sick.  His  body  is  the  center 
around  which  the  most  loathsome  diseases  rage,  leprosy,  sleeping 
sickness  and  a  host  of  others.  Our  medical  personnel  is  dealing  in  a 
very  effective  way  with  these  scourges  of  the  body,  and  is  teaching 
the  native  to  care  for  himself  in  many  ways.  Medicine  is  always 
on  hand.  Assistants  are  being  trained  in  our  hospitals  and  dispen- 
saries  and  some  of  them  show  great  promise.  The  black  man  has  the 
unfortunate  inclination  to  allow  disease  to  reach  hopeless  proportions 
before  consulting  us.  Some  who  have  not  been  Christianized  or 
adequately  so,  fall  back  on  heathen  practices  in  times  of  sickness  and 
make  use  of  their  native  medicines.  The  heathen  attitude  toward 
disease  is  that  an  evil  spirit  or  demon  possesses  one,  resulting  in  pain 
where  this  spirit  locates  himself. 

“Child  mortality  is  great.  My  abiding  joy  is  found  in  doing 
what  I  can  to  aid  mothers  in  saving  their  babies  and  those  of 
others  (for  orphans  are  numerous)  from  their  enemy,  malnutrition. 
It  seems  that  most  of  these  people  are  suffering  from  this  malady, 
for  their  diet  is  peanuts  and  a  small,  tasteless  millet  seed  which  they 
grow  in  their  gardens  and  dry,  crush  in  a  mortar  of  stone  and  stir 
with  a  little  water;  and  the  cooked  green  plantain. 

“These  people  are  docile,  teachable,  receptive.  They  want 
Christianity,  they  want  our  medicine  and  surgery  and  food.  We 
have  a  tremendous  responsibility  in  this  ever'changing  Africa,  and 
the  churches  at  home  must  be  our  source  of  supply.” 


13 


Dr.  Wilmer  S.  Lehman,  for  thirty  years  physician  to  the  tribes 
of  southern  Cameroon  and  more  than  any  man  of  our  Mission,  per' 
haps,  friend  and  physician  to  the  pygmy  tribes  of  these  forests,  has 
his  word  to  say  about  his  day’s  work; 

“The  days  in  the  dispensary  and  hospitals  may  seem  much  alike 
to  outsiders,  but  to  the  doctor  they  are  all  very  different.  Always 
some  new  faces,  some  new  development,  some  new  problem  to  be 
met,  all  fraught  with  opportunities  if  we  are  on  the  alert  to  improve 
them. 


“The  day  begins  with  morning  prayers  at  about  5:40  a.  m.  in 
the  little  chapel.  The  patients  and  their  friends  come.  We  always 
have  several  tribes  represented  and  there  are  some  of  these  who 
cannot  understand  the  Bulu  in  which  the  service  is  conducted.  The 
songs,  prayer,  the  Bible  portion,  an  explanation  and  a  memory  verse 
are  included  in  the  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes.  The  medical  assist' 
ants  lead  these  morning  devotions,  taking  a  week  each  in  turn.  It  is 
a  good  way  to  start  the  day.  The  verses  of  Scripture  are  repeated — 
who  can  tell  the  good  they  may  do  when  used  by  the  Holy  Spirit! 
Our  desire  is  that  all  shall  attend  these  services,  and  after  the  bell 
rings  one  of  the  men  goes  to  the  different  wards  calling  the  people 
to  get  up. 

“There  are  always  patients  to  be  seen  right  after  breakfast, 
before  we  begin  the  operations.  Africa  seems  to  be  full  of  sickness. 
Some  come  on  very  suddenly  and  are  very  serious,  but  for  the  most 
part  we  have  to  do  with  the  old  chronic  diseases  that  make  life 
miserable.  Usually  the  patients  have  tried  many  native  doctors 
before  we  see  them.  They  themselves  also  usually  know  the  name 
of  their  illness  and  then  a  few  questions  from  the  doctor  will  help 
him  decide  whether  there  is  another  disease  to  be  considered.  As 
one  looks  over  the  patients  in  the  waiting  room  one  is  always  sure  to 
see  little  children.  Some  are  very  much  frightened  at  the  doctor,  as 
many  parents  make  the  white  man  the  terror  of  their  little  ones.  At 
times  we  have  difiiculty  in  winning  their  confidence.  Mothers  who 
are  sick  bring  their  children,  especially  if  they  come  from  a  distance, 
so  there  are  always  many  children  in  the  hospital  street.  The  very 
little  ones  are  carried  on  their  mother’s  hip,  for  there  are  no  baby 
carriages;  but  who  has  ever  heard  a  mother  complain  of  carrying 
her  child?  Certainly  no  one  here  in  Africa. 

“Then  there  are  men  and  women  from  various  tribes,  among 
them  one  will  occasionally  find  a  man  with  the  flowing  garments  of 


14 


the  Mohammedans.  There  are  traders  who  have  come  down  from 
the  north,  who  live  in  colonies  throughout  the  country.  One  sees 
also  the  welhdressed  trader  from  up  the  coast,  Lagos,  Togo  and  the 
Gold  Coast.  But  most  of  those  who  come  to  us  are  people  who  are 
poor,  with  very  little  clothing  and  who  are  much  in  need  of  our 
assistance. 

“Most  of  the  patients  have  come  for  some  definite  thing.  Many 
come  for  the  ‘needle,’  as  they  call  the  injection  of  neosalvarsan. 
The  fame  of  this  treatment  has  gone  far  and  wide  and  many  come 
or  are  carried  to  have  this  ‘needle’  treatment.  Neosalvarsan  has 
been  a  great  blessing  in  this  land  of  dreadful  ulcers  and  unsightly 
skin  lesions.  And  the  way  it  so  quickly  heals  not  only  ulcers  but 
long  continued  headaches,  aching  joints  and  bones,  and  many  other 
disorders,  is  wonderful  indeed. 

“The  doctor  does  not  have  time  to  see  all  his  patients  before 
operating,  but  the  assistant  in  the  drug  room  will  give  them  record 
cards,  and  supply  many  with  the  needed  medicine  during  the  morn- 
ing.  The  doctor  does  see,  however,  the  more  urgent  cases,  and  in 
the  meantime  the  patients  to  be  operated  upon  are  being  prepared. 
The  writer  well  remembers  one  of  the  first  operations,  some  years  ago, 
when  everything  had  to  be  done  by  the  doctor,  dressings,  instruments 
and  patient  made  in  readiness,  and  when  the  time  came  to  operate, 
he  was  tired  out.  What  a  relief  it  is  now  to  have  willing,  capable 
assistants  who  can  attend  to  all  these  preliminaries! 

“There  are  some  who  give  the  anesthetic  very  carefully.  Dress¬ 
ings  are  prepared  and  sterili2,ed  beforehand  by  black  women  who 
assist  in  the  dispensary.  Instruments  are  selected,  sterilized  and  laid 
out  in  the  proper  way  by  one  assistant,  while  another  prepares  the 
patient.  These  helpers  have  the  aseptic  or  antiseptic  sense,  and  the 
results  show  it.  What  a  saving  of  time  and  strength  to  have  so 
many  earnest  and  efiicient  hands  to  help!  The  assistants  seem  to 
enjoy  operations  and  all  would  come  to  see  them  if  it  were  possible 
to  spare  them  from  their  other  work.  The  operating  is  done  in  the. 
morning  when  it  is  cooler,  and  we  are  usually  through  at  noon. 
Patients  often  have  to  wait  their  turn  for  operations  so  they  are 
always  glad  when  their  turn  comes.  Usually  they  show  no  fright 
or  but  little  anxiety.  One  little  woman  told  us  the  day  after  she 
was  operated  that  she  had  spent  the  night  before  the  operation  in 
prayer.  Most  of  them  bear  the  operations  well  and  suffer  little  shock. 

“At  two  o’clock  the  afternoon  work  begins.  There  are  more 
patients  at  the  dispensary  window  where  an  assistant  holds  forth. 


15 


He  is  a  man  of  even  temper,  and  is,  oh,  so  patient!  Questions  have 
to  be  asked  of  the  patients  over  and  over,  and  instructions  'about 
taking  medicine  must  be  repeated  carefully.  He  has  a  knowledge  of 
several  languages,  a  keen  knowledge  of  human  nature,  a  kind  heart 
and  pleasant  words.  He  stands  at  the  window  dispensing  medicine, 
and  keeping  a  record  of  the  patients. 

“The  treatment  of  ulcers  is  done  in  the  afternoon  also.  There 
is  a  perennial  supply  of  these,  some  of  which  heal  easily,  but  others 
are  slow  and  difficult  to  cure. 

“This  may  be  one  of  the  days  for  the  ‘needle.’  Sometimes  there 
are  over  300  injections  given  in  a  month.  Some  days  it  is  not  possible 
to  give  to  all  who  come,  and  there  is  some  hard  feeling,  so  keen  are 
they  for  this  treatment.  It  takes  a  steady  hand  to  give  these  injec' 
tions,  especially  up  to  thirty  and  forty  in  a  day,  yet  we  have  an  assist' 
ant  who  does  this  well  and  has  given  as  many  as  ninety'one  in  a 
single  day. 

“There  are  little  children  and  adults,  too,  with  the  dreadful 
disease  of  yaws,  which  often,  if  let  alone,  takes  a  year  to  pass.  If 
left  to  itself  in  its  second  stage,  it  will  most  certainly  be  followed 
in  later  years  by  one  of  a  large  variety  of  disorders  which  may 
cripple,  disfigure  or  deform,  and  cause  untold  suffering.  How  satis' 
fying  it  is  to  be  able  to  check  this  dreadful  disease  early.  It  is  easy 
to  understand  why  the  people  are  so  eager  to  receive  the  injections. 
Medicines  are  dispensed  at  or  under  cost.  It  is  the  policy  of  the 
Mission  to  have  all  who  are  able,  pay  for  medicine  and  treatment. 
The  medical  and  surgical  work  has  been  self-supporting  for  the  most 
part,  without  counting  the  doctor’s  salary. 

“At  the  close  of  the  day  it  is  the  custom  to  inspect  the  wards 
and  see  that  all  is  well  for  the  night.  The  people  respond  very 
quickly  to  a  word  or  joke,  and  this  often  helps  the  weary  doctor 
as  much  as  the  patient.  It  is  too  bad  we  do  not  have  time  to  enter 
more  fully  into  the  lives  of  our  patients  and  know  them  better.  But 
this  seems  quite  impossible,  as  every  doctor  has  other  duties  about  the 
station  which  draw  heavily  upon  his  time  and  strength.  There  are 
all  kinds  of  people  under  our  care,  those  who  pester  the  life  out  of 
us,  and  those  we  are  always  glad  to  meet;  the  real  heathen  and  the 
fine,  earnest  Christian.  It  is  our  duty  and  privilege  to  minister  to 
them  all.  The  Lord  grant  grace  to  do  it  cheerfully,  tactfully,  and 
lovingly.’’ 


16 


That  Work  Palaver 

ORE  SWIFTLY  than  may  be  conveyed  in  this  brief 
study,  times  change  in  primitive  Africa.  The 
African  faces  a  new  economic  situation  at  his  door 
which  has  not  been  created  by  the  coming  of  the  missionary.  How' 
ever,  the  missionary  as  his  friend  is  bound  to  equip  him  to  meet  these 
new  conditions  in  which  he  finds  himself  today.  Our  Mission  early 
realised  the  necessity  of  this  practical  service  and  we  have  today  one 
of  the  best  industrial  schools  maintained  by  a  mission  in  Africa. 

From  its  inception  Mr.  Fred  Hope  has  been  the  one  to  guide  in 
the  administration  of  this  splendid  work  called  the  Frank  James 
Industrial  School.  Speaking  of  its  growth,  he  says: 

“In  1907  the  school  was  scarcely  more  than  a  name.  In  1908 
the  carpenter  class  consisted  of  two  Bulu  boys  who  were  employed 
in  doing  the  repair  work  of  the  station.  Their  equipment  was  a 
palm  leaf  shed  and  twenty'five  or  thirty  dollars  worth  of  tools.  The 
tailor  class  had  a  few  yards  of  cheap  cloth  and  a  second-hand  sewing 
machine  whose  imperfections  in  work  were  even  more  than  the 
Africans. 

“But  soon  a  graduate  tailor  was  brought  from  the  Hope  Waddel 
Institute  at  Old  Calabar,  and  church  women  from  home  sent  us  a 
new  sewing  machine  and  a  supply  of  cloth.  Before  we  were  really 
ready  for  business  two  carriers  arrived  who,  having  earned  a  dollar 
and  a  half  for  transporting  loads  from  the  beach,  and  having  seen  the 
sophisticated  black  man  on  the  coast,  were  fired  with  the  familiar 
and  inevitable  ambition  to  resemble  him.  When  they  found  that 
they  could  buy  a  khaki  coat  for  the  money  they  had  just  received, 
each  of  them  was  measured  by  the  tailor — a  new  experience.  Before 
those  two  coats  were  finished  other  orders  came  pouring  in,  and  the 
class  has  been  these  fifteen  years  trying  to  catch  up  with  a  tribe  that 
has  set  its  heart  on  a  modern  aspect.  So  the  tailor  class  has  grown 
until  its  gross  receipts  have  been  as  high  as  $9,000  in  a  single  year. 

“The  growth  of  the  carpenter  class  was  even  more  rapid  than 
that  of  the  tailor  class.  The  big  profits  that  could  be  made  on 
rubber  and  in  trade  brought  many  Europeans  into  the  jungle.  They 
came  into  the  ‘bush’  with  nothing  in  the  way  of  houses  and  furni¬ 
ture,  and  their  need  was  our  opportunity.  They  ordered  furniture 
of  all  kinds,  doors,  windows  and  even  houses. 


17 


“With  every  order  filled  many  more  were  received.  Men  were 
trained  and  more  trained  men  were  found  from  the  older  Missions 
up  the  coast,  and  more  Bulu  boys  were  taken  in  as  apprentices  under 
a  three^year  contract. 

“In  the  beginning  of  the  second  year  a  fire  wiped  out  everything, 
except  a  few  tools.  In  spite  of  these  losses  we  closed  the  year  in 
good  shape  financially.  As  there  was  no  appropriation  for  the  school 
from  the  Board,  we  had  to  run  a  store  and  sell  goods  to  secure 
money  to  buy  tools  and  build  new  shops. 

“One  of  the  products  that  has  done  a  great  deal  to  spread  the 
reputation  of  the  Frank  James  Industrial  School  in  the  Cameroon  and 
neighboring  colonies  is  the  rattan  furniture.  Home^going  govern' 
ment  ofiicials  and  business  men  have  carried  this  rattan  furniture  into 
all  the  colonies  up  coast  and  into  many  European  countries. 

“Another  industry  that  has  attracted  wide  attention  is  the  ivory 
department.  This  class  has  converted  thousands  of  pounds  of 
elephant  tusks  into  many  articles,  ivory  beads  proving  the  most 
popular;  their  sale  amounted  to  about  $6,000  in  three  years. 

“In  1910  a  saw  mill  outfit  was  purchased.  To  establish  it  with 
all  the  machinery  connected  with  it  has  been  a  tremendous  job,  done 
by  laymen.  Teaching  the  natives  to  cut  trees,  bring  in  logs,  saw 
them  up,  plane  them  and  construct  houses  and  all  the  furniture  that 
goes  into  them  has  been  a  large  undertaking.  These  processes  were 
highly  educative  to  the  native,  who,  in  his  primitive  state,  lives  in 
this  great  forest  with  all  its  mahogany  and,  wonderful  and  beautiful 
many'colored  woods,  yet  has  utilised  only  a  few  trees  from  which  he 
could  take  the  bark.  With  this  bark  and  a  few  sticks  for  posts,  he 
made  the  walls  of  his  home.  With  the  stalks  of  the  giant  palm  he 
fastened  on  the  bark  and  made  the  rafters,  using  the  leaves  of  the 
same  palm  for  a  roof.  A  few  pieces  of  the  bamboo  made  his  bed 
and  no  other  furniture  graced  his  hut. 

“It  has  been  our  work  to  teach  these  native  boys  who  knew 
nothing  of  real  work  to  run  and  operate  this  machinery.  Missionary 
teachers  with  these  same  natives  of  the  industrial  school  as  helpers, 
planned  and  constructed  the  Central  Hospital  with  all  its  dwellings, 
native  and  European  wards,  installed  pumps,  built  reservoirs,  in' 
stalled  plumbing  for  hot  and  cold  water,  set  up  the  ice  machine,  the 
electric  light  plant  and  the  X'ray.  All  this  has  impressed  the  native 
with  respect,  almost  awe,  for  these  same  missionaries  who  were  able 
to  do  such  wonderful,  such  unheard  of  things. 


18 


“In  comparing  1908  with  the  present  we  realizie  the  growth  of 
this  institution.  That  year  the  gross  output  of  the  school  was  about 
$300,  while  now  it  is  more  than  $35,000.  Then  less  than  forty 
men  were  in  the  employ  of  the  school,  counting  apprentices,  teachers 
and  workmen.  Now  the  pay'roll  aggregates  over  1,000  men.  To 
the  tailor  and  carpenter  classes  of  1908  have  been  added  shoe'making, 
tanning,  general  machine,  garage  and  blacksmithing  shop;  manufac¬ 
ture  of  rattan  furniture,  ivory  novelties,  pith  helmets,  hats  and  caps; 
when  time  permits,  instruction  in  mechanical  drawing;  and  the  men 
have  also  been  trained  in  the  making  and  laying  of  bricks. 

“Our  equipment  too  has  grown,  and  we  have  the  machinery 
needed  in  the  above-named  classes,  also  two  hydraulic  oil  presses  for 
the  manufacture  of  peanut  and  palm  oils. 

“The  school  has  been  commended  by  both  the  German  and 
French  governments.  Ex-Governor  Garde,  governor  of  the  Cameroun 
until  1923,  said  in  an  official  letter,  ‘I  cannot  pass  over  in  silence 
the  brilliant  results  of  the  Industrial  School  at  Elat.  It  is  a  model 
of  its  kind  which  our  official  schools  may  try  to  equal,  but  will 
surely  not  surpass.’  ’’ 

Yet  the  school  is  not  primarily  an  employer  or  even  an  instructor 
of  labor.  It  exists  to  build  men.  Thorough,  self-respecting  labor, 
duly  paid  for  at  proper  wages,  is  a  long  step  forward  in  the  African’s 
social  progress,  and  the  increasing  numbers  in  the  school  show  that  he 
appreciates  this  fact.  But  the  deeper  importance  of  the  school  makes 
its  appeal  as  well,  and  both  apprentices  and  workmen  are  willing, 
even  eager,  to  give  toward  the  support  of  the  evangelists  who  go 
back  to  their  villages  and  tell  “the  things  of  God”  which  they  have 
learned  at  Elat,  or  in  their  own  vacations  to  go  and  tell  these  things 
to  the  neighbors  at  home.  While  the  men  are  at  work  in  the  shop, 
their  wives  and  families  are  taught  simple  hygiene,  care  of  children, 
and  have  Bible  lessons  as  well,  so  that  they  are  not  left  behind  as 
their  husbands  progress.  The  younger  Christian  women  are  willing 
to  learn  child-care  from  the  missionaries;  but  almost  always  there  is 
the  old  grandmother  who  insists  upon  the  ancient  customs  and  often 
has  her  way  in  spite  of  more  modern  theories.  Sometimes  the 
younger  generation  wins  out. 

The  tribes  of  the  Cameroun  are  agricultural  people;  along  with 
other  primitive  Africans  they  begin  to  extend  their  agricultural  am¬ 
bitions  and  to  produce  crops  for  export.  Cocoa  has  built  many  a 


19 


fine  house  for  energetic  farmers  and  bought  many  a  motor  truck  to 
be  driven  by  prosperous  chiefs  upon  the  highways  that  now  penetrate 
the  Cameroun. 

Fred  Hope  again  says,  “The  agriculturist  has  a  wonderful  oppor^ 
tunity.  The  native  in  general  is  most  primitive  in  his  ideas  of  agri' 
culture.  A  club  with  a  small  iron  wedge  driven  into  it  is  his 
implement  for  felling  the  forest.  With  this  he  fells  the  trees  every 
which  way  and  later  this  tangle  is  burned  over,  leaving  all  the  trees 
and  most  of  the  brush.  Here,  without  stirring  or  breaking  up  the  soil, 
the  seeds  are  planted  by  the  women,  who  are  the  farmers.  The  men 
do  not  do  such  lowly  work.  Farming  is  the  work  of  slaves  and 
women.  The  only  farming  implement  is  a  short,  forked  stick  with 
one  prong,  pointed  with  a  piece  of  iron.  Yet  the  crops  this  great, 
fertile,  tropical  country  will  produce  are  almost  unlimited.  The  oil 
palms  can  be  made  a  wonderfully  paying  crop.  This  country  will 
produce  unlimited  varieties  of  fruits,  vegetables  and  other  foods. 
I  have  just  made  a  list  of  different  articles  of  food  that  have  come 
to  our  table  from  our  own  garden  and  the  list  numbers  sixty.  Be' 
sides  these  from  our  own  garden  we  get  others  from  natives.  That 
is  enough  to  show  the  great  variety  of  foods  this  country  can  produce. 

“There  is  no  limit  and  yet  the  native  knows  so  little.  The 
opportunity  of  the  agriculturist  is  almost  beyond  the  power  of  the 
imagination. 

“Then,  too,  the  native  knows  so  little  about  preparing  the  foods 
he  does  have.  Poorly  prepared  and  half'cooked  foods  and  unsanitary 
methods  of  preparation  are  accountable  for  many  of  the  complaints 
and  diseases  peculiar  to  these  people.  It  is  pitiable  to  see  the  meager 
allowance  of  illy  prepared  foods  that  is  the  lot  of  the  natives,  when 
there  is  such  an  opportunity  for  good  foods.  Just  as  the  native  lives 
in  his  little  smoked,  dirty,  ilhkept  hut  of  bark  and  leaves  and  sticks 
amid  the  great  mahogany  forests  and  unlimited  supply  of  granite, 
iron  and  other  building  material,  even  so  he  eats  his  meager,  poorly 
prepared  foods  in  this  fertile,  tropical  country  where  the  greatest 
variety  of  the  most  wholesome  food  in  all  the  earth  could  be  had. 
The  Bulu’s  garden  is  his  granary.  He  does  not  have  to  store  food 
at  all.  With  two  rainy  seasons  a  year,  a  garden  is  a  perpetual  thing. 
His  needs  are  always  supplied,  after  a  fashion,  from  that  garden, 
yet  how  pitiably  small  that  is  compared  with  what  could  be  produced. 
And  here  lies  one  of  the  greatest  opportunities  for  a  layman. 

“There  is  no  station  school  of  our  Mission  but  is  dependent  on  its 
agricultural  department;  the  boys  and  girls  work  in  the  field  and  are 


20 


fed  by  the  field.  There  is  in  all  these  local  efforts  the  dual  effort  to 
maintain  old  tribal  standards  and  to  face  modern  methods  and  oppor' 
tunities;  but  it  is  at  Elat  Station  that  the  major  agricultural  work  of 
the  Mission  is  conducted.  Here  it  began  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Victor  M.  Buck  in  1907. 

“The  first  work  has  been  principally  experimental  to  ascertain 
the  best  producers  from  among  the  great  variety  of  native  foods. 
The  outstanding  result  of  these  experiments  and  study  is  a  hardy 
diseasc'resisting  cassava  plant.  Within  the  past  fifteen  years  a 
peculiar  disease  has  attacked  the  cassava  which  lessened  its  produc' 
tion  80  per  cent.  Since  it  is  the  staple  food  of  these  people  it  meant 
increased  labor  and  larger  gardens  to  produce  what  was  needed. 
Acres  of  this  disease^resisting  cassava  have  been  planted  on  mission 
grounds  and  cuttings  have  been  sent  to  other  stations  and  the  result 
is  a  remarkable  success.  Soon  it  will  be  in  the  hands  of  the  native 
generally.  Five  hundred  acres  of  the  seven  hundred  and  fifty  be- 
longing  to  the  Central  Hospital  plant  have  been  turned  over  for  this 
work.” 

There  are  seven  young  men  under  instruction  in  this  depart' 
ment  and  we  look  forward  to  a  large  future. 

No  one  thing  has  been  of  greater  benefit  to  the  Mission  than 
the  Halsey  Memorial  Press,  for  the  most  part  the  work  of  the 
late  John  H.  Bradford.  In  speaking  of  this  part  of  the  work  at  Elat 
in  1923  Mr.  Bradford  said:  “From  an  industrial  viewpoint,  the 
Halsey  Memorial  Press  employs  a  negligible  number,  but  from  an 
efficient  viewpoint,  considering  heredity,  environment,  and  adaptabib 
ity,  the  African  leads  his  American  brother  artist  by  a  wide  margin. 
The  fathers  of  these  typographers  were  savages  without  a  written 
language.  But  these  workmen,  the  first  of  a  new  generation,  learned 
their  letters  in  the  Mission  Schools,  learned  obedience  from  school 
discipline  and  morals  from  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  as  interpreted 
to  them  by  their  friends,  the  missionaries. 

“The  printing  office  is  continually  visited  by  curious  natives  to 
see  the  marvels  of  this  strange  workshop.  The  pressTeeder  is  an 
amazement,  but  the  monotype  is  a  still  greater  wonder.  The  conver- 
sation  of  a  group  which  one  day  stood  gazing  at  type-setting  was 
overheard  by  a  missionary.  One  of  them  remarked  he  would  like  to 
see  the  inside  of  the  head  of  a  man  that  invented  such  a  thing.  His 
neighbor  maintained  that  it  could  not  have  been  a  man  but  a  spirit 
which  could  do  such  wonders.  But  a  third  said,  'When  people  know 
God  for  years  He  gives  them  wisdom  passing  understanding.’ 


21 


“From  an  evangelistic  viewpoint  the  Press  looms  large.  Without 
the  publication  produced  by  it,  the  native  would  be  dependent  for  all 
his  literature  upon  lands  across  the  sea,  the  evangelistic  message 
would  be  limited  by  the  range  of  the  human  voice,  and  the  education 
of  these  people  would  be  as  narrow  as  the  confines  of  the  school 
room.  Instead  there  have  been  published  here  several  million  pages 
in  the  native  languages  of  the  African  and  that  with  the  sole  purpose 
of  evangelizing  the  race.  Thus  this  Press  is  the  one  evangelist  that 
knows  no  bounds,  is  limited  by  no  physical  weakness  or  tropical 
climate  in  carrying  the  Gospel  message  far  and  near.” 


22 


That  Church  Palaver 


y  HAVE  tried  in  the  foregoing  to  show  what  the  West 
f  /§  /  Africa  Mission  has  in  the  way  of  equipment  to  bring 
^  to  these  people  that  very  abundant  life  which  is  found 

only  in  Christ.  That  life  is  manifested  in  the  growth  of  the  church 
which  the  Rev.  Joseph  McNeill  tells  us  has  never  grown  more  geo' 
graphically  than  in  the  last  fifteen  years.  He  continues: 


“In  1920  we  took  over  the  work  which  the  German  missionaries 
were  compelled  to  drop  at  Sakbayeme.  In  1922  Yaounde,  the 
colonial  capital  in  the  heart  of  the  Cameroon,  was  occupied.  In  1924 
a  minister  and  his  wife  were  assigned  to  direct  the  work  in  Bafia 
along  the  Mohammedan  frontier  line  of  advance.  In  1925  it  was 
decided  to  man  Djaposten  that  the  Mekae  and  Lomie  fields  might 
be  adequately  cared  for.  The  diflficulty  of  superintending  the  widely 
scattered  evangelistic  centers  from  that  point,  and  the  need  in  the 
field  beyond  at  Molondo  presented  an  immediate  and  imperative  need 
for  a  second  outpost  at  Abong  Mbang.  From  all  our  new  frontiers 
we  look  out  to  distant  horizons  where  the  smoke  of  a  thousand  vib 
lages  lie,  where  the  call-drums  keep  sounding,  calling  us  to  come. 
From  Efulan  comes  the  word  of  a  mighty  work  down  on  the 
southern  border  where  there  are  at  present  several  young  men  acting 
as  evangelists  among  their  own  people  without  any  monetary  sup¬ 
port  from  the  church  whatsoever.  But  not  in  the  south  only;  in 
the  north,  northeast  and  east  as  well  are  the  opening  doors  of  oppor¬ 
tunity.  It  can  be  seen  then,  that  everywhere  pastors,  more  than 
busy  with  the  established  work  of  their  own  fields,  find  their  eyes 
lifted  to  the  forest  and  grass  hills  immediately  beyond  and  their 
hearts  filled  with  a  desire  to  respond  to  the  multitude  calling  for 
light.” 

When  Mr.  McNeill,  writing  in  1927,  thus  speaks  he  feels  behind 
him  the  pressure  of  the  church  membership  of  27,085,  a  gain  of 

I, 234  over  the  preceding  year.  The  catechumen  classes  of  over 
44,000  show  therefore  on  the  rolls  of  the  West  Africa  Mission  as 
born  again  almost  72,000  souls,  the  Sunday  school  enrollment  being 
about  92,000. 

Let  us  take  a  look  into  one  of  the  churches  with  the  Rev.  Philip 

J.  May  as  he  first  enters  upon  his  work. 


23 


“We  enter  the  church  and  scan  the  great  auditorium.  Huge 
poles  support  the  massive  slant  roof  made  of  palm  branch  mats  laid 
over  a  frame  work  of  bamboo  poles.  The  floor  of  the  church  is  the 
bare  ground  which  is  covered  with  crude  pews.  This  building  seats 
about  two  thousand.  Our  church  buildings  are  spacious;  our  largest 
edifice,  the  one  at  Elat,  will  seat  some  four  thousand  people. 

“As  one  enters  the  church  a  single  black  mass  greets  the  eye. 
Such  an  audience!  I  am  attracted  to  several  women  with  huge  brass 
collars  about  their  necks,  and  a  variety  of  bands  on  their  legs  and 
ankles.  Most  of  the  women  carry  infants  in  their  arms  or  in  the 
goat  strap  carriers  which  are  slung  over  the  shoulder.  Little  boys  are 
seated  at  the  sides  of  the  church  where  they  regard  the  rest  of  us 
with  their  wondering  black  eyes.  Here  and  there  are  women,  some 
of  them  only  girls,  with  shaven  heads  which  is  the  Bulu  mark  of 
widowhood.  Here  little  girls  sit  together.  There  seems  a  tendency 
for  the  people  to  group  together  according  to  age  and  sex.  The  men 
are  here  in  goodly  numbers  and  there  is  a  group  of  them  at  the  side 
of  the  pulpit,  the  elders  of  the  church,  who  are  as  a  rule  the  out' 
standing  men  of  the  community.  One  of  these,  the  headman  of  his 
town,  came  to  visit  me  today  and  told  me  that  he  thanked  God  for 
sending  them  another  white  man  who  will  tell  them  the  words  of 
God.  Some  of  the  good  old  hymns  were  sung.  How  at  home  I  feel! 
These  Buluized  hymns  thrill  me!  And  how  those  boys  do  sing! 
The  missionary  reads  the  Scripture  and  tells  them  the  Words  of  God. 
‘And  he  that  taketh  not  his  cross  and  followeth  after  me  is  not  worthy 
of  me.’  The  rapt  attention  of  the  audience  is  disturbed  only  by  the 
occasional  cry  of  one  of  the  many  babies.  The  boys  look  up  at  the 
missionary  with  intense  interest.  Like  all  boys,  they  are  the  men  of 
tomorrow  and  I  have  great  hope  for  the  Bulu  as  I  watch  them. 
Prayer  is  offered  amid  a  sea  of  bowed  heads.  The  meeting  is  over 
and  the  people  stream  forward  to  grasp  us  by  the  hand.  They  are 
reluctant  to  leave  and  stand  around  for  an  hour  chatting,  which 
brings  to  my  mind  those  periods  of  fellowship  after  the  services  in 
the  old  church  back  home. 

“Another  Sunday  is  the  Communion  Sunday.  Sabbath  school 
and  the  morning  service  were  most  inspiring.  The  huge  auditorium 
was  crowded  to  capacity.  The  observance  of  the  Lord’s  Supper  is 
always  reserved  for  the  afternoon  because  the  reception  of  new 
members  and  baptisms  take  the  major  portion  of  the  time  of  the 
morning  service.  At  one  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  the  people  gather 
for  ‘the  great  honoring,’  as  it  is  called  in  Bulu.  The  table  is  a  very 


24 


plain  one  and  has  that  worn  appearance  of  African  things.  The 
missionary  is  seated  behind  the  table  while  on  either  side  are  the 
elders  who  will  aid  in  this  sacrament.  A  verse  of  ‘Break  Thou  the 
Bread  of  Life’  is  sung  very  softly,  then  prayer  and  Scripture  reading 
follow.  The  sermon  is  a  picture  of  Jesus  taking  leave  of  his  disciples 
at  the  Farewell  Supper.  The  faithful  are  here.  In  their  hands  one 
may  notice  the  crude  ebony  or  shell  spoon  with  which  they  will 
receive  the  wine,  which  is  the  juice  of  a  native  fruit.  The  linen  cloth 
is  lifted  revealing  two  bowls  and  two  glasses;  the  former  containing 
the  bread  and  the  latter  the  wine.  At  the  side  of  the  glasses  there  lie 
two  spoons  with  which  the  elders  will  serve  the  wine  into  those  held 
out  by  the  communicants.  All  is  clothed  in  silence,  with  the  ex' 
ception  of  a  noise  here  and  there  made  by  some  of  the  multitude  of 
babies  present.  The  atmosphere  is  gripping!  The  elements  are 
served  amid  the  mass  of  bowed  heads  while  more  verses  of  ‘Break 
Thou  the  Bread  of  Life’  are  sung.  Prayer  follows,  the  Apostles 
Creed  is  recited,  another  hymn  is  sung,  the  benediction  is  pronounced 
and  all  file  silently  out. 

“Evangelists,  elders  and  people  will  take  to  the  road  on  the 
morrow  back  to  their  native  villages  where  they  will  endeavor  to 
live  the  Christ-like  life  in  the  midst  of  an  environment  which  is  nega¬ 
tive,  an  environment  whose  pull  is  ever  downward.  The  tremendous 
need  of  Africa  is  impressed  with  great  force  upon  my  mind.  There 
is  a  continuous  Macedonian  call,  ‘Come  over  and  help  us.’  ’’ 


THE  MAN  AND  WOMAN  OF  GOD 

Yes,  it  is  a  Macedonian  cry  and  it  is  specific.  It  is  for  a  teacher 
and  a  doctor  and  a  preacher.  A  white  man  and  a  white  woman 
to  come  over  and  help.  But  it  is  more  than  this;  it  is  a  cry  to  the 
leadership  that  is  latent  in  the  African  people.  The  most  vital  in¬ 
terest  to  the  Mission  is  the  degree  and  the  quality  of  the  African 
response  to  that  cry.  To  what  degree  have  the  tribes  of  the  Came¬ 
roon  responded  to  the  call  to  Christian  leadership? 

Surely  it  is  something  to  be  able  to  answer  that  our  mission  in 
the  Cameroon  is  served  by  743  African  school  teachers  and  612  or¬ 
dained  African  evangelists,  and  there  are  49  native  assistants  in  our 
hospitals  and  dispensaries.  These  are  all  supported  by  the  field,  and 
in  speaking  of  them  we  are  taking  no  account  of  the  thousands  of 
people  who  serve  without  remuneration.  And  what  has  been  the 
quality  of  the  response?  The  teacher  has  already  been  spoken  of 


25 


and  we  have  thrilled  to  the  work  that  Nkulu  Ndibi  and  Esam  are 
doing  and  the  lives  that  are  being  changed  under  their  influence. 

Now  hear  the  story  of  John  Bulla  Mfum,  a  Christian  work' 
man,  ambitious,  persistent,  efficient  and  earnest.  He  ever  holds  aloft 
the  torch  of  his  Master.  He  mounts  all  obstacles  and  through  his 
medical  work  is  constantly  helping  his  brother  in  distress. 

While  quite  a  small  school  lad  he  began  his  career  by  catching 
beetles  and  butterflies  for  the  white  man  during  his  spare  time.  His 
efficiency  as  such  a  collector  gained  for  him  a  position  in  the  medical 
work  where  he  found  an  outlet  for  his  splendid  ambition  to  learn 
and  his  desire  to  serve. 

It  matters  little  what  the  object  or  subject  may  be,  or  'how 
repulsive  externally  it  may  appear,  his  interest  and  thought  penetrate 
beyond  the  outer  layer  and  go  after  the  heart,  and  he  is  not  satisfied 
until  that  heart  is  put  back  into  the  hands  of  its  rightful  Owner  for 
service.  Thus  scores  have  found  life  and  peace  with  their  Lord 
through  the  ministry  of  this  man  of  God  and  have  become  pioneer 
soldiers  of  the  Cross  in  far  distant  villages  where  the  name  of  Christ 
had  never  before  been  heard. 

Patients  press  constantly  their  troubles  and  wants  upon  him 
and  all 'receive  the  same  courteous  and  kindly  treatment;  always  he 
has  a  definite  purpose  in  view,  that  they  may  better  know  their 
Maker.  No  one  goes  away  from  him  empty. 

He  constantly  spends  and  is  spent  in  helping  the  white  doctors 
that  they  may  be  relieved  from  taxing  night  calls  and  that  their 
rest  may  be  undisturbed.  He  knows  in  part  at  least  some  of  the 
deep  meaning  of  the  Cross,  for  he  lives  in  its  shadow  constantly  and 
wins  through  its  power. 

There  are  many  women  too  who  have  responded  to  this  call  and 
are  giving  their  lives  in  service  for  others.  Among  them  is  Mejo 
me  Kome.  When  but  a  little  girl  she  was  married  to  a  man  with 
two  other  wives.  Later  she  was  married  to  a  man  who  had  many, 
many  wives.  One  day  some  people  passing  from  the  next  village 
told  a  wonderful  'tale.  “The  strangest  thing  is  in  our  town,”  they 
said,  “it  eats,  it  speaks,  it  covers  its  body  with  cloth,  it  is  a  person, 
but  white.”  Mejo  with  others  hurried  to  see  the  strange  person. 
They  found  Dr.  A.  C.  Good,  who  told  them  in  a  very  simple  way 
about  God.  They  went  home  afterward  saying,  “Zambe  a  jo  na” 
(God  says  thus),  as  they  had  heard  him  say  it,  but  that  phrase  was 
all  they  had  been  able  to  grasp. 


26 


Months  later  Mejo  was  sent  to  a  village  near  Elat,  and  while 
there  heard  Bekale  Mendom,*  that  wonderful  winner  of  souls,  tell  the 
Gospel  story.  The  desire  came  to  her  to  walk  in  the  new  way,  and 
after  she  was  redeemed  and  sent  back  to  her  husband,  she  and  an' 
other  wife  stole  away  and  went  back  to  Elat.  They  sought  Mr. 
Dager,  to  whom  they  made  known  their  desire,  and  he  advised  and 
helped  them  through  many  perplexities  and  trials,  for  their  husband 
was  indeed  angry  when  he  learned  that  two  of  his  women  dared  to 
bring  to  his  town  another  'God  than  himself.  His  death  finally  re- 
leased  them.  Mejo  then  went  to  school  at  Elat.  Although  a  grown 
woman  she  learned  to  read  the  Gospels.  Eighteen  years  ago  she 
married  Meva’a,  an  evangelist,  with  whom  she  has  lived  and  worked 
happily  ever  since. 

Recently  when  Mejo  returned  from  the  hospital  where  she  had 
gone  to  have  an  operation,  she  said,  “As  I  lay  on  'my  bed  the  day 
before  the  operation,  reading,  I  was  frightened  to  think  of  having  a 
knife  put  into  me,  but  I  came  to  the  verse,  T  am  the  resurrection 
and  the  life,’  and  it  gave  me  a  new  heart.  Jesus  said  it  to  me  over 
and  over  again  and  I  had  no  more  fear.” 

Pleasant 'and  helpful  is  Mejo  always;  willing  to  do  anything  for 
any  one  of  any  tribe.  Her  faith  is  a  constant  inspiration  to  all  who 
know  her. 

When  it  comes  to  giving,  the  African  Christian  puts  the  Amer' 
ican  Christian  to  shame.  When  the  price  of  cloth  with  which  to 
make  their  clothes  went  up  to  five  times  what  it  was  before  the  war, 
and  when  money  became  scarcer  and  scarcer,  did  the  African  reduce 
his  gifts  to  the  church  so  as  to  pay  the  increased  price  for  the  cloth' 
ing?  7\[o,  he  went  back  to  his  loin  cloth,  and  the  women  went  back 
to  their  grass  skirts  and  they  attended  service  as  before,  although 
before  these  hard  days  came  no  Christian  would  be  seen  in  the  house 
of  God  in  such  attire,  or  lack  of  attire. 

And  when  the  offering  at  one  of  the  stations  went  down  to  700 
marks,  and  the  missionary  preached  a  missionary  sermon,  out  of 
their  poverty  they  managed  to  give  1,500  marks,  over  one  hundred 
per  cent  increase. 

•  Note — It  is  suggested  to  readers  that  they  learn  more  of  Bekale 
Mendom  in  the  “Black  Pioneer,”  an  appreciation  of  this  man,  published  by 
the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A. 
Price,  ten  cents. 


27 


The  African  Christian  also  gives  of  his  time  for  the  Lord.  The 
Christians  of  Efulan  and  Alum  gave  in  one  year  9,460  days  of  ser¬ 
vice — nearly  twenty-six  years  of  effort  to  evangelize  their  fellow 
countrymen. 

He  also  gives  for  those  who  have  gone  on  before.  A  Christian 
man  and  wife  give  regularly  in  the  church  envelopes,  they  give  for 
each  of  their  living  children,  and  then  in  addition,  in  a  separate 
envelope,  give  for  the  children  who  have  passed  on. 

When  the  new  church  at  Elat  was  organized  in  1903,  and  six 
persons  were  received  into  membership,  the  offering  of  the  day  con¬ 
sisted  of  6  bunches  of  beads,  one  tennis  belt,  43  agate  buttons,  one 
ebony  hairpin,  2  felt  hats,  one  small  tin  basin,  one  package  of  native 
food,  40  chickens,  4  eggs  and  many  other  things,  in  money  value 
about  $35,  but  in  purchasing  power  $350. 

Mrs.  Cozzens  tells  us  of  the  splendid  effort  of  Mvondo,  a  native 
minister,  who  was  greatly  distressed  because  of  the  failure  of  his 
church  to  meet  its  obligations,  for  the  report  of  Presbytery  had  re¬ 
vealed  that  his  church  had  the  poorest, financial  record  of  all. 

After  giving  the  matter  a  great  deal  of  prayerful  thought 
Mvondo  came  to  the  white  minister  and  asked  if  they  might  not  have 
an  all-afternoon  meeting  to  consider  the  money  question.  His  plan 
was  to  have  several  of  the  missionaries  give  twenty  minute  talks  on 
the  subject  of  giving,  after  which  he  would  make  an  appeal  for 
marked  increases  in  the  gifts  of  the  people. 

The  plan  carried  and  the  meeting  was  well  attended.  The  white 
people  spoke  well,  but  Mvondo’s  address  was  powerful  and  effective. 
This  was  his  closing  illustration.  “We  Bulu,  when  we  cook  a 
chicken,  how  do  we  divide  it?  The 'father,  what  part  is  he  given?” 

“The  big  piece  of  breast,  of  course.” 

“And  the  oldest  son,  what  part  is  he  given?” 

“The  leg  and  thigh.” 

“And  the  younger  sons?” 

“The  wings  and  back.” 

“And  the  ‘moneka’  (sister’s  son),  what  piece  is  he  given?”  A 
titter  of  amusement  ran  through  the  audience  as  they  giggled  the 
answer,  “O,  he  gets  the  neck.” 


28 


“O,  my  friends,”  said  Mvondo,  “I  say  to  you  that  most  of  you 
are  giving  to  your  Heavenly  Father  and  his  'work  only  the  little 
piece  you  would  throw  to  the  ‘moneka’!” 

The  pledges  were  increased  that  day  beyond  what  any  except 
Mvondo  had  had  the  faith  even  to  ask. 

With  such  a  splendid  field  and  with  so  responsive  a  people  to 
touch  with  the  love  of  Christ  it  is  no  wonder  that  Mrs.  Philip  J. 
May  sees  in  fancy  the  Africa  of  the  future.  Let  us  go  with  her 
in  spirit  to  this  land  as  she  describes  it  to  us. 

“And  now  as  I  sit  in  my  rooms  in  Africa  the  real,  and  look  out 
upon  banana  and  palm  trees  and  the  white  man’s  roses  and  the 
forests  on  the  horizon,  and  I  hear  the  singing  of  tropical  birds,  and 
see  a  passing  woman  carrying  on  her  back  the  burden  of  food,  and 
hear  the  lusty  voices  of  boys  singing  in  yonder  schoohhouse,  I  picture 
in  my  mind’s  eye  another  Africa,  an  Africa  redeemed  by  Christ, 
an  Africa  of  healthy  women  and  free,  an  Africa  of  girls  and  boys 
equipped  to  take  their  places  in  the  world  beside  the  youth  of  other 
nations,  an  Africa  of  stalwart  Christian  men,  an  'Africa  that  knows 
not  the  darkness  of  sin,  superstition  and  ignorance,  but  one  that  is 
delivered  from  these  yokes  of  bondage  and  whose  lives  are  cast  in  the 
pleasant  lighted  places  of  this  God'created  world.” 


29 


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